20 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



Duly 6, it 



myself well acquainted with everything, or at least 

 nearly everything which has been accomplished in the 

 direction to which I refer, but until recently I knew 

 of nothing actually in the market calculated to answer and 

 to stand the practice and of time. I am, however, bringing 

 under your notice a compound, of French invention, called 

 " Ignifuge," which really seems to leave little or nothing 

 to be desired. This compound has attained to something 

 like a reputation in France, having been rewarded with 

 a prize of 1,000 francs and a gold medal, after a series of 

 exhaustive trials under a committee of experts appointed 

 by the Prefecture. It is non-poisonous, does not destroy 

 or even weaken any fabric impregnated with it, nor does 

 it injure the colour of any dye of fairly good quality. 

 Ignifuge will, however,render all kinds of fabrics and com- 

 bustible materials absolutely incapable of sustaining flame 



How is this accomplished ? M. Martin, the inventor, 

 does not really employ any one thing which is precisely 

 novel, but he so mixes and combines two or more 

 different fire-resisting salts that they neutralise each 

 other's objections to a great extent. Further, by the 

 employment of certain peculiar compounds of the salts 

 with glycerine and lactic acid, all fear of their crystal- 

 lising or efflorescing, on the one hand, or of becoming 

 too moist on the other, seems to be avoided. 



A number of experiments were then shown to prove 

 the efficacy of the compound. 



A discussion followed, in which the Chairman, Mr. F. D. 

 Dixon-Hartland, M.P., Mr. P. McLagan, M.P., and others 

 took part, and a committee — consisting of the abovegentle- 

 men, Mr. P. L. Simmonds, the Marquis de Leuville, Mr. 

 Mr. W. J. Bull, Mr. Lewis Appleton, Captain Heath, Mr. 

 W. H. Lefevre, M. A.Louis, and Mr. W. Lascelles-Scott— 

 was appointed for the purpose of impressing upon Govern- 

 ment the necessity of taking " prompt and improved 

 measures to secure public safety and relief by increased 

 numbers of fire escapes, relays of firemen, and other 

 efficient means, and for the purpose of diffusing informa- 

 tion and accurate knowledge respecting the prevention 

 and extinction of fires and the safety of human life." 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 

 by his correspondents, nor can he take notice of anonymous com- 

 munications. All letters ?nust be accompanied by the name and 

 address of the writer, not necessarily for publication, but as a 

 guarantee of good faith. 



THE DURATION OF SUNSHINE. 

 A factor of much interest has of late years been added to 

 the science of meteorology by the introduction of the sun- 

 shine recorder, an instrument reflecting much credit to the 

 inventor, although, as is usual, the first introduced, known 

 as Campbell's burning recorder, was followed by Jordan's 

 photographic. The first is simply a globe of glass of some 

 three or four inches diameter, throwing a focus of the solar 

 rays at about two inches from its surface, the focus being of 

 sufficient power to burn through comparatively thick card 

 paper ; hence it may easily be conceived, if a strip of prepared 

 card paper be made to encircle the globe at the right 

 distance for the focus, and precisely opposite the path 

 traversed by the solar orb in its daily journey, upon a 

 clear day a small black line will be burnt along the strip of 

 card paper ; and, further, if the card paper be divided into 

 hours and tenths, the number of hours of sunshine will be 

 registered upon the paper for the day ; after sunset the card 

 paper can be removed from its proper receptacle and a new 

 one inserted ready for the next day ; such in outline is the 

 instrument by which a measurement of the solar value is now 



being obtained in many parts of the kingdom. At Eastbourne 

 one of these instruments completed its first three years' work 

 on the 31st of May last, having been set to work on the 1st of 

 June, 1885. The record thus obtained is bringing to light 

 many features of considerable interest independent of the 

 record of the actual number, of hours registered, the most im- 

 portant being its testimony in favour of there being in every 

 mo nth of the year, certain days that are annually bright and 

 sunny, and others that appear annually to be nearly or quite 

 sunless ; holding out to us the hope that in future we may be 

 empowered to select our sunny days for picnics or holidays, 

 and avoid the more cheerless ones. Again there are other 

 days that appear to be bright and clear in the morning but 

 cloudy during the afternoon, others wherein the solar orb 

 shines forth during the middle of the day only, and others 

 wherein the afternoon is reserved for solar favours. Indeed, 

 the facts of interest that reveal themselves at every step are 

 many and various, clearly showing this branch of meteoro- 

 logic science will, in the near future, form by no means the 

 least interesting. 



In the following table is embodied the five most sunny, 

 and the five most sunless days for each month of the year, 

 as revealed from a three years' daily average : — 







JANUARY. 





Most Sunny Days. 





Least £ 



unny Days. 



26th 



6-1 hours. 





31st 



o-o hours. 



28th 



5'6 „ 





22nd 



O'O ,, 



17th 



5'o „ 





15th 



00 ,, 



20th 



47 „ 





nth 



o-o „ 



30th 



43 ., 





4th 



o-o „ 





Total for the month, 66 6. 









FEBRUARY. 





26th 



6-5 hours. 





21st 



0-5 hours. 



10th 



4'5 .. 





nth 



03 » 



2nd 



43 ,. 





19th 



0-2 „ 



27th 



4'2 „ 





3rd 



o-i „ 



28th 



4-1 „ 





29th 



o-o ,, 





Total for the month, 65 -o. 









MARCH. 





7 th 



6-2 hours. 





5th 



1-9 hours. 



29th 



6-o „ 





3rd 



1-8 „ 



6th 



5 '2 „ 





17th 



1 '4 „ 



2nd 



5'° » 





1 8th 



i-o „ 



9th 



47 ,, 





27th 



°'9 ., 





Total for the month, 105-0 









APRIL. 





26th 



100 hours. 





15th 



3-3 hours 



21st 



93 .. 





14th 



33 n 



3rd 



8-8 „ 





2nd 



3-2 „ 



20th 



8-5 » 





7th 



i'9 ,, 



27th 



8.3 „ 





29th 



°3 „ 





Total for the month, 169-0 









MAY. 





15th 



13-0 hours. 





25th 



47 hours 



9th 



ii-i „ 





nth 



4-6 „ 



14th 



I°'4 „ 





17th 



3'8 „ 



5th 



93 ,, 





19th 



2-0 „ 



20th 



9 -2 .. 





1 6th 



I-O ,, 





Total for the month, 216-0 









JUNE. 





10th 



12-0 hours. 





6th 



.4-6 hours. 



Uth 



"3 1. 





2nd 



4'2 „ 



12th 



103 „ 





3rd 



4'2 „ 



28th 



io-o ,, 





26th 



3'8 „ 



20th 



93 .. 





8th 



27 „ 





Total for the month, 224-3 









JULY. 





6th 



14-0 hours. 





19th 



5-6 hours. 



3rd 



I2'9 11 





31st 



5-6 „ 



22nd 



12-2 „ 





25th 



5 '4 „ 



1st 



12-2 „ 





30th 



43 „ 



4th 



n-o ,, 





1 2th 



i'4 ,,. 



Total for the, month, 263-3. 



